Air-relief valve for radiators.



PATENTED MAR. 5, 1907.

D. D. CASEY. AIR RELIEF VALVE FOR RADIATORS.

' APPLICATION FILED 00T.5, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AIR-RELIEF VALVE FOR RADIATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Eatenteoi March 5, 1907.

Application filed October 5, 1905. Serial No. 281,426.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DENNIS D. CASEY, a

citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Relief Valves for Radiators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to air-relief valves for radiators; and one object of the invention is to provide an automatically-operating valve of the character indicated of novel and improved construction to the end of assuring better air-relief from the radiator than has been heretofore usual.

Another objectof the invention is to make provision for steam condensation and water, which may be discharged from the radiator more or less in conjunction with air, so that the same will be retained in a suitable reservoir therefor, and which it will be impossible to overflow, so that under no circumstances can there be any damage from leakage or overflowing of the present appliance.

Other objects are attained in and by the device, as hereinafter rendered apparent.

The invention consists in parts and constructions thereof in cooperative arrangement or combination, all substantially as hereinafter fully described, and set forth in the claims.

The improved air-relief valve is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a substantially central sectional view vertically through the appliance and shown connected on a radiator. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Figs. 3 and 4 are horizontal sectional views, respectively, on the lines 3 3 and 4 4, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the air-valve.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the views.

In the drawings, A represents the main casing of the device, in which the air-valve B is contained. Said casing comprises a section 10, having a central vertical passage 12 therein leading to the chamber enlargement 13 at its upper portion, and the lower portion of the passage 12 by being internally screwthreaded is adapted for screw connection with the coupling or connection piece a of the radiator, one section of which is represented at b.

The enlarged upper portion of the lower casing-section is externally rabbeted and screw-threaded above the shoulder at the base of such rabbet for screw-engagement therewith of the internally-threaded lower portion of the upper casing-section 15, which makes the upper closing portion of the chamber in the sectionally-formed casing.

The upper casing-section has at its top an upward cylindrical extension 16 of reduced diameter, made externally screw-threaded and having within its top wall a downwardlyopening flaring valve-seat 17, in connection with which are the radial passages 18 18.

The air-valve B consists of a stem or stud 20, having a thin circular flange or disk 22 between the upper and lower ends of said stem, said dis approximately fitting the wall of the chamber enlargement 13 in the casing and having an aperture 23 therethrough either at its edge or otherwise located. The said stem is hollow and open from its lower end partially through the length of the stem and has a sidewise-opening port 25 below the disk, and the stem has an external flange or bead 26 at the lower portion thereof, which fits in the cylindrical passage 12 in the lower casing-section, so as to afford a guiding means for the stem of the air-valve and to leave an annular space between the sides of the stem under the disk and the wall of the passage 12.

Air from the radiator under comparatively slight pressure will be operative to correspondingly more or less elevate the disk valve, whichwhen removed from its seat on the internal hollow hub-like portion 11 of the casing-section upstanding within the lower hollow part thereofpermits the passage for relief of the air from the radiator through the hollow lower portion of the valve stem, through the side port 25, the annular space between the stem and said portion 11, through the valve-disk recess 23, to and through and upwardly above the valve-seat opening 17.

The upper end of the stem is constructed, as indicated at 27, to constitute a valve for a normally open relation to the aforementioned downwardly-opening valve-seat 17 in the upper portion of the upper casing-section 15. The said valve B, while imposing no substantial obstruction to the passage of air from the radiator through and beyond the valve-seat opening 17, is one which will be operative to close said opening 17 against the passage of an excessive quantity of water or steam therethrough when water or steam is brought with such pressure against the under side of the disk 22 as to raise the valve to close the valve-seat opening 17-that is to say, when the water or steam are in such quantities and at such pressure as not to be relieved through the disk-recess 23 before effecting a closing by the valve of said opening 17.

30 represents a third casing-section of annular form, the lower portion of which screwengages on the aforementioned externallythreaded top part 16 of the upper casing-section 15, and this third casing-section comprises at the upper portion thereof a spider frame 32, with a central vertical aperture 33 to constitute a guide for the stem 3 1 of the float-valve, of which 35 represents the float.

C represents a tubular vertically-arranged reservoir, having the lower portion thereof screw-engaged and tightly connected with the upper casing-section, and this tubular reservoir is formed with a substantially closed top constructed with a downwardly and in wardly opening valve-seat 38 at the central portion of such top and having one or more ports 39 leading from said valve-seat openings to the exterior of the reservoir, this par ticular construction providing against curious or malicious persons tampering with the appliance, as might be done by the insertion of a pin, wire, or other small sharp object through the reservoir-outlet if the same were drilled directly upwardly through the center of the reservoir cook or cap.

The float-valve, the stem of which is guided as aforesaid, is constructed with a valve or closing-plug 40 at its upper end, which is normally below and opened from the valve-seat 38, and the float 35, which this stem carries or which when floated carries the stem, has its location at a considerable distance above the lower-portion of the stem, as shown, so that the float-valve will not become operable to close the reservoir-outlet 38 until, as would rarely occur, the reservoir has become nearly filled with water.

The dotted lines as, Fig. 1, shown in relation to the float, indicate about the height at which water would be in the reservoir to sustain the float and its stem in the relative positions shown.

This valve is automatic in action and not liable to derangement in protracted use.

Air under reasonable pressure within the radiator in passing through the connectionpiece a and casing-section 10 will more or less lift the disk-carrying valve B, so that the air may pass upwardly, after having come through the lower hollow portion of the stem and sidewise out through the port 25, upwardly through the aperture or recess 23 into the casing chamber, and therefrom through the casing-outlet 17 18 into the reservoir by way of the third casing-section 30 to escape from the reservoir at the normally open top passage thereof. Should there be an outflow of a substantial quantity of water toward and into the lower portion of this appliance, the result would be a lifting of the air-valve to the limit of its movement, resulting in a closing of the valveseat opening 18, so that the radiator cannot discharge with rapidity any considerable volume of water therefrom; but in conjunction with the air relieved from the radiator through this relief-valve device it is expected that vapor, steam, and water in small quantities, will pass u'nobstructedly upwardly to be received into the upstanding tubular reservoir. This will usually become dissipated by vaporization from the heat of the radiator and by evaporation; but in extreme cases, where the accumulation in the reservoir becomes sufficient to nearly fill the latter, the float will carry the valve end 40 of the stem to close the outlet-port of the reservoir and prevent any overflowing or flooding.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a relief-valve for a radiator, a chambered casing, having an inlet-passage, to be in connection with the interior of the radiator, and said passage leading to within a lower portion of the chamber, and having an outlet-passage leading from an upper portion of such chamber, a valve comprising a stem and a disk below the upper end of the stem, the upper end of the stem being normally in open relation to the said outlet and adapted to close the same, and the disk gravitatively closed against the mouth of said inlet-pas sage, and said disk being constructed to permit, when raised from said mouth, restricted quantities of fluid to pass from below to above said disk, a reservoir into which said outlet leads having a normally open outletport at an upper portion thereof, and a flo atvalve in said reservoir, operable, by a water accumulation into the reservoir to close said outlet-port.

2. In a relief-valve for a radiator, a chambered casing having an inlet-passage, to be in connection with the interior of the radiator, and leading to within a lower portion of the chamber in said casing, and having an outlet-passage, leading from an upper portion thereof, a valve comprising a stem, and a disk below the upper end of the stem, the stem being normally in open relation to the said outlet and adapted to close the same, and the disk gravitatively closed against the mouth of said inlet-passage, and said disk being constructed to permit, when raised from said mouth, restricted quantities of fluid to pass from below to above said disk, a reservoir into which said outlet leads having a normally open outlet-port at its upper portion, and a float-valve in said reservoir comprising a stem, constituting the valve proper, and the float, supported at an intermediate IOC IIO

part of the stem, and operable, by a suflicient water accumulation in said reservoir to close said outlet-port thereof.

3. In an air-relief valve for a radiator, a chambered casing comprising a lower section having a central vertical passage therein and having a chambered enlargement at its upper portion and an upper section screw-engaged with the lower section, and constituting the upper closing portion for the casing-chamber, and having at the upper portion thereof a downwardly-opening valve-seat and one or more outlet-passages in connection therewith, an automatically-operating air-valve consisting of a stem or stud having a thin circular flange or disk between the ends of said stem, said disk approximately fitting the wall of said chamber enlargement and having arecess in its edge, the stem being hollow partially of its length and open from its lower end, hav ing a sidewise-opening port below the disk, leading from the downwardly-opening passage therein, and having an external flange or bead at the lower portion thereof, and the upper extremity of said stem constituting a valve in normally open relation to the valve seat in said upper casing-section.

4. In an air-relief valve for a radiator, in combination a chambered casing comprising a lower section having a central vertical passage therein and having a chambered enlargement at its upper portion, and an upper section screw-engaged with the lower section, and constituting the upper closing portion for said casing-chamber, and having at the upper portion thereof a downwardly-opemng valve-seat and one or more.

radial passages in connection therewith, an automatically-operating air-valve consisting of a stem or stud having a thin circular flange or disk between the ends of said stem, said disk approximately fitting the wall of said chamber enlargement and having a recess in its edge, the stem being hollow and open from its lower end, having a sidewise-opening port below the disk, leading from the downwardly-opening passage therein, and having an external flange or bead at the lower por tion thereof, the upper extremity of said stem constituting a valve in normally open relation to the valve-seat in said upper casingsection, a third. section of annular form, the lower portion of which screw-engages the upper portion of said upper casing-section, and l? aving a centrally-located guide, a tubular reservoir screw-engaged with said upper cas ing section, having a substantially closed top constructed with a downwardly-opening valve-seat at the central portion of such top, and having a port leading from said valveseat to the exterior of the reservoir, and a vertical stem centrally arranged in said reservoir having its lower portion engaged and vertically movable in said guide, having at an intermediate part thereof a float, and its upper end form constructed to a valve, for coaction with said valve-seat in the top of the reservoir.

5. In a relief-valve for a radiator, a chambered casing to be connected with a radiator, having an inlet-passage terminating in an up standing hollow, upwardly opening, hublike part in the lower portion of the casingchamber, and having an outlet-passage leading from an upper portion of said chamber, and terminating in a downwardly-open valveseat, a valve comprising a disk to gravitatively seat on the upper end of said upwardlyopen part, and having a recess therethrough, an axial tubular stem portion below the disk, downwardly opening, having at its lower extremity an annular enlargement fitting in the vertical opening in said hub-like part, and having a sidewise-opening port below the disk, and said valve also comprising an upstanding stem portion adapted for a normally open relation to said downwardly-open valve-seat, and on the upward movement of the valve to close the same, and a reservoir above and supported by said casing-section and into which said outlet-passage leads.

Signed by me at Springfield, Massachusetts, in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DENNIS D. CASEY.

Witnesses:

WM. S. BELLOWS, G. R. DRISCOLL. 

